Sen. Mark Udall climbed mountains before he got into politics. (The Denver Post)

U.S Sen. Mark Udall today showcased his previous life climbing 14ers with a 14-point list on BuzzFeed that mixes summits and senatorial life — and might even be more interesting than any ad his campaign is planning.

Beauprez is one of four candidates running for the GOP nomination for governor, a job he sought in 2006 and lost to Democrat Bill Ritter. The GOP primary is June 24 and today is the last day of the latest fundraising period.

The ad size is small — roughly $150,000 over next nine days — with a mix of broadcast, digital, cable. But it airs at the same time another Koch brothers-funded group, the American Energy Alliance, is spending more than $400,000 for an ad telling Udall to vote for Keystone.

“While many Members of Congress are doubling down on the policies that drive up the tax burden and discourage job creation, Rep. Cory Gardner has taken a principled stand against special interests in support of taxpayers,” Dustin Zvonek, Colorado state director of Americans for Prosperity said in a news release.

Congressman Jared Polis — labeled “King Polis” — was blasted in a full-page ad today in The Denver Post for his involvement with energy ballot measures that critics say would cost Colorado tax revenue and jobs.

The ad, from Log Cabin Republicans, features a photograph of the Boulder Democrat that has been altered to show him wearing a crown and a robe. It comes one day after Log Cabin Republicans unveiled a radio ad targeting Polis on the same issue and its director, Gregory T. Angelo, calling the congressman a “limousine liberal.”

Asked about the radio-ad buy, Polis couldn’t resist his own jab: “Oh, did all three of them chip in?”

Log Cabin Republicans is the nation’s largest Republican organization representing the interests of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans and their allies. The group has more than 30,000 registered members. It’s a “myth,” Angelo told The Denver Post Tuesday, that Log Cabin Republicans is a “small and insignificant organization.”

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.